Sick gator found guarding pot stash

That’s what Alameda (Calif.) County sheriff’s deputies encountered about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when they conducted a “probation compliance” check of a home in Castro Valley.

While at a home they found 34 pounds of processed dried marijuana and a live — but ill — 5-foot alligator in a Plexiglas tank in the bedroom. The reptile, named “Mr. Teeth,” acted as a deterrent against marijuana thieves, said sheriff’s Sgt. J.D. Nelson.

“We come across guard dogs like pit bulls quite frequently, but a guard alligator is very very unusual,” Nelson said.

Mayar was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he is being held in lieu of $160,000 bail.

Mr. Teeth was taken to the Oakland Zoo. Zoo spokeswoman Nicky Mora said the gator is “very sick” and is being treated at the zoo’s veterinary hospital. Per protocol, the alligator is put into quarantine for 30 days after arriving at the zoo.

“So we will probably treat him and keep him in a quarantine area and then figure out from there where he will be located,” Mora said.